Is The Proform 18.0 RE Elliptical Trainer Really Worth a Review?

I purchased the Proform 18.0 RE elliptical trainer at a local sports retail outlet as I had a discount coupon. When the box was delivered to my house, it appeared very bulky and big (over 200 lbs I would imagine)

It took about 3 people to carry the box inside the house. As I have a bit of technical knowledge, I decided to take care of the installation myself. I made sure I read through the manual twice before starting the assembly.

Well of course, it turned out to be a lengthy procedure. It took me nearly 4 hours to finish the assembly; however I could have done it in half the time if I hadn’t been extra careful.

Please make sure that you do not use herculean force to tighten the bolts as there is no need for it. The reason I say this is because, if something goes wrong like squeaking etc, then it’s a pain to unfasten the bolts. There is no need to use any power tools either as the tools provided in the kit is sufficient.

There weren’t any major issues during assembly that I noted, however make sure you have some latex gloves, soap and wipes handy as there is quite a bit of greasing to be done and it tends to be messy.

Now let me talk about the actual usage of the 18.0 RE elliptical. The performance of this machine is absolutely rock solid. Though, it’s not of commercial grade, it has withstood the durability test over the last 4 months as several of my family members and I use it everyday for over 2 hours combined.

There was, however a squeak on the third day from assembly from the roller under the left footpad. This was quickly silenced by some white grease included in the kit.

In the manual, Proform does not necessarily advise to apply grease during assembly as the parts are already greased. However, they do mention it in the maintenance section to fix any squeaks.

Now, let’s look at some of the not-so-good observations:

The fan could have been better. It makes noise in the highest setting but does provide some air to the face and body. However, if the fan is important for you, then I would recommend you invest in a real fan. The in-built fan is no good compared to the real deal.

The in-built speakers in the Proform Elliptical 18.0 RE are not that great. I am sure I can get better sound quality from my mobile phone.

My biggest rant is that the big 7” console does not allow me to enter my details like age, weight etc and save my personal settings. This is because one needs to purchase their ‘ifit’ programme to access these settings. By the way ‘ifit’ is not free and costs $99 and a yearly membership fee.

So for the moment it’s really annoying that the calories burnt for a small person and a large person (wife and I) ends up being the same.

Despite having said all this, I still love my Pro form 18.0 RE elliptical. It has helped me to lose a lot of weight and look fitter in the last 4 months and I am looking forward to many years of loyal service from this wonderful elliptical.

An avid fitness enthusiast, Pamir is closely associated to the Fitness Industry and trains regularly at his local gym. His sole purpose in running this website is to cut-to-the-chase and provide accurate information to the end-user.

Thanks for the review. I just received the Proform 18.0 RE from Amazon and the back housing was cracked. I called Proform and they are sending all of the replacement parts and since the damage appears to only be cosmetic, I put the machine together and have started using it. I am a bit concerned though because when I up the resistance level I can barely notice a difference from level 1 to the maximum level of 22. Is this normal or should the maximum resistance be a lot harder of a workout?

Hey Jeff, sorry for the delay in replying as I was travelling. About the issue, the resistance should increase as you increase the levels. Contact Proform and they will fix it for you. Hope this helps.